Need a guitar amp guru please.

[markids77]

I just found a Premier model 50 amplifier which looks OLD.


"Barn Fresh", it appears complete but I am afraid to plug it in because the cord looks frazzled and original.
I don't even own a guitar; is this thing worth researching and perhaps reconditioning?

[Giraffe (He/Him)]

Originally Posted by markids77

I just found a Premier model 50 amplifier which looks OLD.


"Barn Fresh", it appears complete but I am afraid to plug it in because the cord looks frazzled and original.
I don't even own a guitar; is this thing worth researching and perhaps reconditioning?

HELL yes! DEW IT.

Pics!

[markids77]

Here ya go... I hope.
Tell me a bit about Premier?

[dvarapala]

I can smell that thing from here.

[Mike Mercury]

Those look like the original knobs...

http://www.jt30.com/premier/model50.html

[Grey Ghost]

I found an old Widowmaker awhile back.

Still haven't had the courage to plug it in or swap cords to change ground.

[Grey Ghost]

https://reverb.com/marketplace?query...0model%2050%20

[mrvette]

Since obviously not plugged in since forever, you really need a VARIAC, witch is an adjustable voltage transformer, to knock the 110 volts down lo, and it's done with a dial through the range 0-110 volts.....so you plug it in and run the voltage up say to 25 volts if it's a vacuum tube amp....but only say 10 volts if a solid state amp......it has to do with 'reforming' the capacitors in the power/signal circuits/power supply....chemical reaction to the application of small power helps the interior structure of the caps.....so you let it alone for say 6 hours at start voltage, increase voltage to say twice the level for another few hours, and continue like that for several more stages, untill full line voltage is applied to the power cord......

over the decades I have done this procedure to many old tired electrons, and been rather successful.....

but this all ASSumes the thing was operational when set aside originally.....

[Giraffe (He/Him)]

YouTube (Short URL)

[Grey Ghost]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Since obviously not plugged in since forever, you really need a VARIAC, witch is an adjustable voltage transformer, to knock the 110 volts down lo, and it's done with a dial through the range 0-110 volts.....so you plug it in and run the voltage up say to 25 volts if it's a vacuum tube amp....but only say 10 volts if a solid state amp......it has to do with 'reforming' the capacitors in the power/signal circuits/power supply....chemical reaction to the application of small power helps the interior structure of the caps.....so you let it alone for say 6 hours at start voltage, increase voltage to say twice the level for another few hours, and continue like that for several more stages, untill full line voltage is applied to the power cord......

over the decades I have done this procedure to many old tired electrons, and been rather successful.....

but this all ASSumes the thing was operational when set aside originally.....

Good info!

Never thought about slowly waking one up vs going full blast from start.

I imagine that thing is a tube amp.

[markids77]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Since obviously not plugged in since forever, you really need a VARIAC, witch is an adjustable voltage transformer, to knock the 110 volts down lo, and it's done with a dial through the range 0-110 volts.....so you plug it in and run the voltage up say to 25 volts if it's a vacuum tube amp....but only say 10 volts if a solid state amp......it has to do with 'reforming' the capacitors in the power/signal circuits/power supply....chemical reaction to the application of small power helps the interior structure of the caps.....so you let it alone for say 6 hours at start voltage, increase voltage to say twice the level for another few hours, and continue like that for several more stages, untill full line voltage is applied to the power cord......

over the decades I have done this procedure to many old tired electrons, and been rather successful.....

but this all ASSumes the thing was operational when set aside originally.....

I assume at this thing's age the caps are paper... would say an 18 volt drill battery be suitable in lieu of a variac?

[markids77]

Originally Posted by Giraffe (He/Him)

https://youtu.be/tcxyjz-YcTQ

Got surprising bite when overdriven. Thanks for sharing!

[Giraffe (He/Him)]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Since obviously not plugged in since forever, you really need a VARIAC, witch is an adjustable voltage transformer, to knock the 110 volts down lo, and it's done with a dial through the range 0-110 volts.....so you plug it in and run the voltage up say to 25 volts if it's a vacuum tube amp....but only say 10 volts if a solid state amp......it has to do with 'reforming' the capacitors in the power/signal circuits/power supply....chemical reaction to the application of small power helps the interior structure of the caps.....so you let it alone for say 6 hours at start voltage, increase voltage to say twice the level for another few hours, and continue like that for several more stages, untill full line voltage is applied to the power cord......

over the decades I have done this procedure to many old tired electrons, and been rather successful.....

but this all ASSumes the thing was operational when set aside originally.....

The VARIAC is one of the components of Eddie Van Halen's tone on the first album. I can't think of a single player whose sound has been analyzed and dissected as much as his.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by markids77

I assume at this thing's age the caps are paper... would say an 18 volt drill battery be suitable in lieu of a variac?

Sorry, but no, need the adjustable slow increase, and 25+ volts is an RMS/average voltage reading, not a steady flow, so the peaks of voltage are much higher, even though they don't last as long....you really need a variac to do this task......

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Giraffe (He/Him)

The VARIAC is one of the components of Eddie Van Halen's tone on the first album. I can't think of a single player whose sound has been analyzed and dissected as much as his.

Herd of him, but can't place his years of popularity, SO I have to ASSume he is in the later stages of R&R ....and has/had a transistor/ SOLID STATE amp, not with vacuum tubes......and as such it well may have been possible to reduce the input AC voltage from the power outlet, down to a point that the transistors were not fully energized, and at one critical point it MAY be possible to play it out with a very distorted sound.....forcing the transistors into 'clipping' the input signal.......

[Aerovette]

This would be a cool touch...

[Chemtrails99]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Herd of him, but can't place his years of popularity, SO I have to ASSume he is in the later stages of R&R ....and has/had a transistor/ SOLID STATE amp, not with vacuum tubes......and as such it well may have been possible to reduce the input AC voltage from the power outlet, down to a point that the transistors were not fully energized, and at one critical point it MAY be possible to play it out with a very distorted sound.....forcing the transistors into 'clipping' the input signal.......

EVH used only tube amps and usually Marshalls. He used a variac to boost the voltage above 120 volts ac on his amps. It ate the tubes alive, but induced a smooth type of overdrive that nobody else had at the time. Never read an interview where he admitted how high he went, but have seen him say for some of the recordings they were killing amps on a near daily basis. I tried it in high school with an old Fender n my electronics class, and it sounded great but quickly destroyed all the tubes. I replaced them with surplus tubes and traded the amp away before any other damage came to light.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Since obviously not plugged in since forever, you really need a VARIAC, witch is an adjustable voltage transformer, to knock the 110 volts down lo, and it's done with a dial through the range 0-110 volts.....so you plug it in and run the voltage up say to 25 volts if it's a vacuum tube amp....but only say 10 volts if a solid state amp......it has to do with 'reforming' the capacitors in the power/signal circuits/power supply....chemical reaction to the application of small power helps the interior structure of the caps.....so you let it alone for say 6 hours at start voltage, increase voltage to say twice the level for another few hours, and continue like that for several more stages, untill full line voltage is applied to the power cord......

over the decades I have done this procedure to many old tired electrons, and been rather successful.....

but this all ASSumes the thing was operational when set aside originally.....

Doesn't low voltage, like in a brownout, usually DAMAGE electrical equipment? I destroyed the picture tube on an old CRT TV by trying to run it on about 400 feet of outdoor extension cords connected to an old generator.

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

Doesn't low voltage, like in a brownout, usually DAMAGE electrical equipment? I destroyed the picture tube on an old CRT TV by trying to run it on about 400 feet of outdoor extension cords connected to an old generator.

Without me seeing the TV or getting a very good description, maybe some pix of the inside of the set, I can't say what happened, I suspect the CRT was on it's last legs anyway......reduce the voltages at that point, and the pix will really suck.....too boot off an old Genset.....

[Bill]

Originally Posted by mrvette

Without me seeing the TV or getting a very good description, maybe some pix of the inside of the set, I can't say what happened, I suspect the CRT was on it's last legs anyway......reduce the voltages at that point, and the pix will really suck.....too boot off an old Genset.....

After (against my better judgement, plugging in a 37" hand-me-down RCA CRT TV to aforementioned 400' generator driven extension cord string, the picture started getting darker and darker in the following days, also the colors got very....green. Picture tube gave out, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with the TV before I did that.